


The Prettiest Poison You'll Ever See

by bromeliadslove



Category: Mean Girls - Richmond/Benjamin/Fey
Genre: Abuse, Angst, Emotional Abuse, F/M, Gaslighting, Panic Attacks, ambiguous ending, and it's time i spilled them all on you, look i have Feelings about the way regina treats aaron, men can be victims of abuse and women can be abusers, regina bashing, regina george being the shitty manipulator she is
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-13 06:27:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,343
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29148930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bromeliadslove/pseuds/bromeliadslove
Summary: "Aaron? Do you ever wonder if Regina is . . . good for you?"
Relationships: Aaron Samuels & OC, Cady Heron/Aaron Samuels, Regina George/Aaron Samuels
Comments: 4
Kudos: 8





	The Prettiest Poison You'll Ever See

Summer of Aaron's junior year, Regina George dumps him for Shane Oman.

Aaron supposes that he should be sad or angry or emotional in general, but he's mostly just tired. Regina has been dropping hints for weeks that she's moved on to better and more exciting things. So he really isn't that surprised when she calls him and sweetly explains that it was never really love, that Aaron was just a _preview,_ and that Shane is the real thing.

"It didn't feel like a preview to me," Aaron says.

"Oh, my _God,_ Aaron," Regina says impatiently, flicking one perfect, golden curl behind her shoulder. "Don't be such a baby! We're in _high school._ You didn't honestly think we were going to get married, did you?"

Aaron wants to say that, actually, he _had_ entertained brief considerations of their being happily settled in some tiny apartment in New York where Regina would casually run the world and Aaron would . . .

Aaron hadn't exactly had a plan for himself. He just assumed that Regina would somehow feature in it.

"Did you cheat on me?" is what falls from Aaron's lips instead.

Big mistake. Aaron watches as Regina's icy blue eyes narrow.

"What, I have to cheat on you to realize you're not good enough for me?" Regina demands. "How conceited _are_ you?"

Aaron opens his mouth to explain that he didn't mean it like that--it just seemed odd to him, the way Shane was suddenly the light of Regina's world or whatever other romantic sap she would throw his way when Shane and Regina barely interacted with each other at school.

"We're done, Aaron," Regina says, overemphasizing each word like Aaron is a toddler of limited vocabulary. "Get over it."

She walks away, and all Aaron can do is watch.

.

It's senior year, and Regina is acting like Aaron doesn't exist.

Not that he cares, of course--he's over her, like any reasonable, mature guy would be. It's just awkward and uncomfortable without her near. Aaron never realized how used he was to her presence, to her hand in his and her voice in his ear.

"Heard the ice queen dumped you," Jake jokes at lunch.

"Naw, man," says Rich, _"he_ dumped _her."_

They both howl with laughter at this like the comedians they are.

Both Rich and Jake made it abundantly clear last year that they had no favorable feelings toward Regina.

_"I mean, she's spicier than a jalapeno milkshake, sure," Rich said, "but she's kind of a control freak."_

Jake would always quickly chime in with _"Hen-pecked!"_

Aaron does not exactly have a good track record of discussions about relationships with his friends. So he smiles tightly and refuses to say a word.

.

There's a girl in AP Calc.

Technically, there are a lot of girls in AP Calc, but Cady is different. She's from Kenya, apparently, and smart enough to answer almost every question Mrs. Norbury throws her way. Aaron knows he shouldn't stare because _staring makes girls uncomfortable, Aaron;_ **_stop doing it._ **

But Cady is sitting right behind him, close enough to nudge him with her knee if she so desired. He keeps turning around when Mrs. Norbury looks the other way for the dumbest reasons.

Aaron has an eraser. _He has an eraser,_ but he still turns and asks her for one like the idiot he is.

Cady probably thinks that Aaron is a creep.

.

"Nice shoes," Aaron says several weeks later.

The truth is, he hates Cady's shoes. They're strappy and suede and the epitome of Regina's style. Aaron likes that Cady is usually different from Regina, that she wears boots and cargo shorts and doesn't give a damn what other people think.

As much as Aaron dislikes the heels, it's _Cady_ wearing them, which somehow makes them far more tolerable than anything Regina donned.

"Thanks!" Cady says brightly. "Regina bought them for me."

Aaron feels his stomach plummet.

"Oh," Aaron says, and his voice feels so very far away. "I didn't know you two were friends."

Cady is talking, but all Aaron can think of is Regina's hands resting on his arm, wrapped around his waist, and presses up against his chest.

Before he thinks it through completely, Aaron blurts out, "There's gonna be a costume party this Friday, for Halloween. You should come."

Cady's face lights up, and Aaron's shoulders slowly relax.

.

Cady shows up at the party in a costume made from blood and rags and gauze. Aaron's mouth drops.

"I know I look like an idiot," Cady says. "I didn't know I was supposed to look like . . ."

She waves vaguely to the crowd of girls in tight-fitting costumes that leave nothing to the imagination.

"No, it's good!" Aaron says quickly. "You look cool."

Aaron can't tell because of the darkness and the dim, strobing lights, but he's pretty sure that Cady is blushing.

"I'm gonna get you a drink," Aaron says before he makes a complete fool out of himself.

As Aaron grabs two drinks from the table, he notices Regina talking to Cady. This is fine. Cady and Regina are friends. Aaron is going to walk over to Cady and hand her one of the cups, and Regina will ignore his existence like she has the entire semester.

Everything is fine, so Aaron has no reason for his hands to be sweaty and shaking, other than being a complete fool. Aaron sets the cups down long enough to wipe his hands off on his football costume, then starts to walk back to Cady. To his relief, Regina is no longer standing next to her.

A hand grasps Aaron's arm.

Aaron turns slowly to find Regina staring up at him.

"Going to ignore me all night?" she asks with a pout.

"Right, because that's totally how this works," Aaron says, pulling his arm away. "Just leave me alone, would you?"

Regina's grip tightens, and Aaron randomly remembers how sharp her nails can be.

"I saw you talking to Cady," Regina says, her voice like saccharine. "So sweet of you to make her feel welcome after she just shows up."

Aaron's mind goes blank for a second.

He hates everything about Regina's tone, about the patronizing air she assumes around Cady, about the clear dismissal of Cady's presence and value.

"She didn't _just show up,"_ Aaron says. "I invited her."

Something darkens in Regina's eyes.

The thing about Regina is that emotion has no effect on her beauty. She could be spitting poison and still look like perfection, which is _so unfair._ A part of Aaron doesn't know how to argue with her, when her face turns into perfect carving in ice, hardened by fury and disdain.

"You know, Cady has a huge crush on you," she says.

"Really?" Aaron asks.

Aaron hates himself for instinctively grinning because the information is coming from _Regina,_ and he cannot trust a thing Regina says when the chill is in her eyes.

"Don't be gross," Regina says sharply. Aaron has to hold back a flinch. "She's my friend. Anyway, she's really baby-ish and inexperienced, and I just--" Regina turns away slightly, her voice breaking. "Sorry, I didn't think this would be so hard--just . . . Promise you won't break her heart like you did mine?"

Aaron feels himself go cold.

"What?" he asks fuzzily.

"When you broke up with me," Regina says, her eyes filling with tears. 

Aaron backs away, his hands shaking, because _that's not what happened--_

Regina places her hand on Aaron's chest, right above his chest, and he freezes.

"You think," Regina says tearfully, "that I am so confident and untouchable, and I _am,_ but it's all a show. You of all people should _know_ that. Why wasn't I good enough for you? What did I do to make you choose her over me?"

"That's not--"

Regina is stepping closer and closer, and Aaron cannot get away, trapped as he is by the crushing mass of people around him and her piercing gaze.

"You _hurt_ me," Regina says, her voice so terribly close to breaking.

"I didn't do any--"

Regina rests her other hand on Aaron's cheek, caressing his jaw before pushing his hair back.

"It's fine," she says brightly. "Feel free to run around and play with my heart whenever you feel like it. But don't you _dare_ mess with Cady's."

"I'm not--"

Regina kisses him.

Her arms are wrapped around him and threading through his hair, and try as he might, he cannot move away. She kisses him again and again and again, and Aaron eventually forces himself to kiss back because _this is fine._ This is what he wanted all along, and Regina isn't even _asking_ for anything--it's just one kiss, two, three, four, and then too many for Aaron to count.

The last thing Aaron sees is Cady's shocked, tear stricken gaze before Regina is grabbing his hand and pulling him into another room.

.

Aaron is at Regina's house, and she is yelling at her mom to _leave them alone,_ and Aaron's hands won't stop shaking.

He doesn't know why it bothers him so much. He and his parents fight all the time about the dumbest things. Except Aaron can't even imagine yelling at his mom, especially not with the tone of voice that Regina uses, like her mom is a bratty two-year-old rifling through Regina's clothes.

"Sorry about that," Regina says. "My mom can't take a hint sometimes."

Aaron nods and doesn't respond because--

He's not sure why. He just can't think of anything to say.

Aaron is lying on the bed, his head in Regina's lap, as she fusses with his hair. Regina has a thing for Aaron's hair, which Aaron does not fully understand but sees no reason not to oblige.

Regina's phone rings, and she groans loudly before answering it.

 _Gretchen,_ she mouths at Aaron. Aaron nods again, but Regina is already focusing her attention elsewhere.

Aaron closes his eyes and does his best to tune Regina out. After all, it's not any of his business what she discusses with Gretchen.

All of a sudden, Regina's voice spikes with irritation, which shouldn't be a problem (because she's allowed to get annoyed, especially with Gretchen. Regina always gets annoyed with Gretchen). But her fingers are tangled in Aaron's hair, clenched in a fist.

Aaron swallows painfully and tries to pull away, but her grip is too tight. So Aaron lies there, his heart racing, as Regina forces his head back at an awkward angle.

He should say something. Regina probably does not realize that she's hurting Aaron, and she would let go immediately if she knew. Only, this is such a miniscule thing, and it doesn't hurt _that much,_ and she's already yelling at Gretchen. If Aaron says something--

Aaron doesn't know how Regina will respond. But it's fine. He can just wait it out, and Regina will eventually let go of his hair.

Regina hangs up with a noise of disgust. Aaron tries not to let his relief show as she releases him.

"She's so _obnoxious,"_ Regina complains. "It's like she has to ask permission from me to breathe."

A part of Aaron wants to point out that Regina seems to like and even encourage that, despite her frequent complaints. But he prefers his head attached to his shoulders, so he just nods dumbly and squeezes her hand.

Regina pecks him on the lips.

"Not like you, though," she says, all sunshine smiles now. "I could never get tired of hearing you talk."

"Even if it's about math?" Aaron asks jokingly, feeling his tension start to melt away.

Regina just laughs and kisses him once more.

.

Aaron still has AP Calc with Cady.

He feels guilty whenever he sees her because all he can think of is her shocked, teary eyes at the Halloween party. Regina keeps assuring him that he shouldn't feel guilty because he didn't _deliberately_ lead Cady on. Aaron still hurt her, though, and he doesn't know how to even begin to apologize.

When he finds out that she's been struggling with calculus (which is surprising because he honestly thought she was smarter than he was), he offers to tutor her. This assuages his guilt slightly, until Regina finds out.

Her arms crossed and eyes flashing, Regina snaps, "You're just going to make things worse!"

"She needs help," Aaron says.

"She needs a _tutor,"_ Regina says, rolling her eyes. "Not more reasons to crush on you. You're doing it _again."_

Aaron must look as confused as he feels because Regina steps closer and stabs his chest with one perfectly manicured nail.

"Leading her on," Regina says.

Aaron starts to blink erratically, and he can't make himself stop.

"I didn't," he says. "I'm not--you said I wasn't--"

"You feed off it, don't you?" Regina demands. "The attention, the adoration, no matter where it comes from. You can't bring yourself to say no because you don't want to. You _enjoy_ messing with one of my best friend's feelings. You get off on it."

Aaron can't find his voice to protest that this isn't true, that he genuinely likes Cady and doesn't want to hurt her, that--

But Regina's hand is running up and down his arm, and she is murmuring into his ear:

"I love you, babe; I really do. But can't you see how much you're hurting her? You need to _stop."_

Aaron swallows, then nods.

"I'll tell her," Aaron says, his brain too muddled to fully understand what exactly he is supposed to be telling Cady.

Regina smiles, flashing perfect white teeth.

"You're so honorable," she says, smoothing back Aaron's hair. "It's your best quality--you know that?"

.

Aaron was going to politely explain to Cady that he couldn't tutor her anymore but that he would be willing to help her find a new one. He really was.

But one look at Cady's bright and cheerful eyes as she talks about calculus is enough to make Aaron falter.

A few more weeks of tutoring can't hurt anything. Besides, Cady is smart. She'll bring her grades up soon.

.

"We never see you anymore," Rich complains.

Aaron forces a smile.

"Regina and I got back together," he says.

Rich is quiet for a long time.

"Aaron?" Rich asks eventually, a troubled cloud in his eyes. "Do you ever wonder if Regina is . . . good for you?"

Aaron stares at Rich blankly.

"She just seems kinda . . . possessive," Rich says. "Like she thinks she owns you or whatever."

Aaron's shoulders tense, and he glares at Rich.

"Take that back," Aaron says in a low voice.

"Geez!" Rich raises his hands slightly. "I was just _saying--"_

"That's all anyone does," Aaron snaps.

He's so tired of his sole function being to listen.

.

Aaron doesn't know what's happening to him. He jumps at random noises, and his hands start shaking at the most random times. Jake keeps making jokes about Aaron being a little kid at a funhouse, but Rich has started shooting him concerned glances even when everything is fine.

Rich is just imagining things. Regina is not toxic, nor is she possessive.

Sure, she gets annoyed and jealous when Aaron spends too much time without her, but Aaron feels the same way. Maybe he does not feel it to the same extent as Regina, but he understands why she gets so irritated. And she never hits him or yells at him or does anything that goes too far.

(Except, when they kiss, sometimes Aaron just feels _exhausted_ because all Regina does it take, take, _take,_ and Aaron doesn't have enough time to breathe. She's constantly touching him and squeezing his hand and straightening his clothes. Aaron feels raw around her, flayed before her gaze, as if he will never be enough.)

"Are you going to send a candy cane?" Cady asks Regina.

Aaron does his best to avoid her gaze now. It's easier than he thought it would be--eye contact is draining most times, so it has become the default to just . . . not look at people.

"Oh, I don't send them," Regina says offhandedly. "I just get them." All of a sudden, her voice sharpens, becoming like crystallized honey, all sharp and gritty and sticky sweet. _"Stop doing that."_

Aaron's hand freezes before he quickly shoves it in his pocket. He didn't realize he was doing anything, but he must have been pulling his hair down. Regina hates it when he does that--she thinks it makes him look juvenile.

"Your hair looks sexy pushed back," Regina purrs, smoothing Aaron's hair back. "Cady, tell Aaron his hair looks sexy pushed back."

There's a long, awkward pause. A part of Aaron wants to look at Cady, but he can't bring himself to meet her gaze, especially when Regina's hand is so close to his face.

"Your hair looks sexy pushed back," Cady says flatly.

Regina smiles sweetly, as if she just won some kind of battle, and keeps walking. Aaron follows her lead, saying, "See you in Calc."

.

"Regina's cheating on you."

Cady is talking, all earnest sympathy and brown eyes drowning with pity, but Aaron can barely hear a word.

Regina is cheating on him with Shane Oman, and it's like summer all over again, except it's worse this time because Aaron tricked himself into thinking that _it wasn't going to happen._

.

"Can we talk?" Aaron asks.

Regina is applying mascara in her bathroom and barely paying any attention.

"Regina," Aaron says, his voice cracking, "please just look at me."

Regina pauses, her mascara wand still raises. She looks at Aaron with a tight set to her jaw, and Aaron feels his throat tighten.

 _"What,"_ she snaps.

Aaron's mouth has gone dry. He regrets asking Regina to look at him because everything is so much _worse_ with her gaze pinning him down.

"I--" His voice is cracking again, which only makes Regina glare even more. She hates it when Aaron's voice cracks--she says that it makes him sound like a desperate middle schooler who doesn't know how to talk. "Shane Oman," Aaron whispers.

"What about him?" Regina asks.

Aaron's hands start to tremble because what if Cady is wrong? Regina will be even more upset with him than usual, and Aaron is always, always, _always_ wrong. He can't win.

"You're cheating on me," Aaron says, hating the pathetic note in his voice.

Regina stares at him, her eyes wide. She sets down her mascara, and Aaron holds back a flinch at the _clink_ it makes on the counter.

"Excuse me?" Regina asks in a low, hard voice.

"The lion suit," Aaron says.

He's not making any sense. Aaron can barely string together a coherent sentence because verbs have become more and more difficult as time has gone on. But the thing is, Regina is looking at him like he _is_ making sense, and Aaron can't figure out what to say next because this means that Cady was _right._

"Why?" Aaron asks.

Regina is opening her mouth, but Aaron is already backing away.

He knows how this will go. Regina will shout and accuse while Aaron gets increasingly confused. She'll mock him as he tries to stutter out an argument, and it will end with Aaron apologizing and Regina stroking his hair, his face, his arms.

Regina will forgive him.

But what did Aaron do to require forgiveness?

"I can't do this anymore," Aaron says. "I--I don't think we're good for each other."

.

When Aaron gets home, he strips down and takes a cold shower. He's not sure how long he stands under the icy spray, but a part of him doesn't want to leave.

The freezing water gives him an excuse to shiver, despite his flushed face and hot skin. As the water pours onto his face, Aaron reflects on the relief that it is, to be able to hide away, to allow the cold to wash away any traces of tears.

This is stupid. Aaron is eighteen now, and he should know better than to cry over a failed relationship. But Regina knows every one of Aaron's flaws and insecurities. She can sense the cracks in Aaron's armor, the perfect moments to strike and dig her claws into his skin.

.

Aaron will have to go to school again. Regina will be there, and he'll have to walk past her and pretend that her very gaze doesn't cut him open and scrape him raw.

He can't. He can't. There are so many things that Aaron can force himself to do, but the thought of seeing Regina again makes him want to throw up.

He does, Monday morning, bending over the toilet, gagging and gagging even when nothing else comes up.

"Oh, honey," his mom murmurs, resting her hand on his forehead. "You're burning up. Why don't you stay home today?"

So Aaron hides under his covers and prays for the world to end. Or for his life to abruptly stop. Or for Regina to move away, preferably out of the country.

She can go live in Kenya for a few years so she can understand how Cady felt.

.

Cady is texting.

Aaron knows he should say something, but he's so bad at communicating. Every now and then, he thinks about Cady and the way her hair falls around her face, the brightness in her eyes as she talks about math, the fact that she was the only one at school to show up in a scary costume.

But Aaron hurt her. He led her on and treated her like trash and just . . . stopped talking to her, per Regina's advice.

Aaron knows that he shouldn't be following Regina's suggestions anymore, but she was right about so many things. It gets muddled in Aaron's mind, what he should listen to and what he should ignore.

But Cady is a nice, _good_ person, and Aaron can't afford to do any more damage than he already has.

So Aaron ignores her first text, then the second, then the third, and all the rest that follow.

.

"Hey."

Aaron knows it's Rich, but a part of him doesn't want to acknowledge that Rich spoke to him. Talking to Rich will mean concern and questions that Aaron is not ready to answer.

But Rich is Aaron's best friend.

So Aaron turns around and meets his eyes.

"You okay?" Rich asks carefully.

"I'm fine," says Aaron.

Rich looks as if he is debating whether to keep talking. After a moment of hesitation, he says, "You've been really . . . off, lately."

"I haven't been getting a lot of sleep," Aaron says.

Rich looks doubtful but doesn't argue.

.

Cady is different from Regina.

This is the mantra that Aaron chants in his head over and over after he agrees to come to her party.

His hands won't stop shaking (they never do anymore). It's fine, though. He'll go to the party, talk to Cady, and--

And. Aaron isn't sure what will come after the _and._ Kisses, probably, which is embarrassing to think about.

Cady likes him. Aaron isn't sure why, after all the things he did to screw her over, but the part of him that likes her back is too loud for him to listen to his common sense.

Aaron will go to the party, talk to Cady, possibly kiss her, and--

All of a sudden, Aaron wants to throw up because all the things that will be expected of him if they start dating are just too much. He would have to hold her hand and kiss her on a regular basis, probably in public, _most definitely_ in public. He would have to follow her around at school and sit at her table at lunch, and it's not that these are _bad_ things because they _aren't;_ Aaron just--

He's not ready to do it all the time. It was so exhausting, the way Regina never gave him enough time to breathe or talk or think. It was _go-go-go,_ morning to night, Sunday to Saturday, all on Regina's time schedule.

Cady is different, though. Cady won't clench fistfuls of Aaron's hair or point out every one of Aaron's failures.

At least, Aaron doesn't think she will. He doesn't know how relationships work, and it could be that this is just _normal,_ that Aaron is making a big deal out of nothing.

But if that’s what _normal_ looks like, then Aaron isn’t sure if he wants to be in a relationship.

.

Cady is drunk.

She’s drunk and kissing him, and Aaron is kissing back. Alarm bells are ringing in Aaron’s mind, though, and he cannot quite sort out _why,_ other than this feeling of _wrong wrong wrong--_

Aaron pushes her away.

“What did you mean, _pretend?”_ he asks.

“Oh,” Cady says. She laughs, a sheepish sound that blurs together in Aaron’s mind. “You’re gonna laugh. I pretended to be bad at math so I could talk to you. I’m actually really good at math, but now I’m failing.”

Aaron stares at her. He thinks he might be drunk, too, because nothing is making sense. It feels like everything Cady says is muffled by layers of gauze and obscured from view.

“Why would you do that?” Aaron demands. “That’s stupid. You should’ve just talked to me.”

Cady rolls her eyes, exasperation clear on her face. She gestures wildly, nearly smacking Aaron in the process. Aaron forces himself not to flinch away.

“Because of Regina! You were like her property.”

“Her _property?”_ Aaron echoes incredulously, stumbling to his feet.

Rich’s voice slices through his skin: _"_ _She just seems kinda possessive. Like she thinks she owns you or something."_

Aaron grabs his coat.

“I need--I need to go,” he says. “I--”

“Shut up, that’s not what I meant--”

“Don’t tell me to shut up--”

“You’re acting ridiculous; just sit down and look hot--”

Aaron freezes. Memories of Regina’s hands on his skin, pushing his hair back, and stroking his chin flood him, and her voice is sinking its claws into his brain once more.

“You,” Aaron says, looking at Cady, “are like a clone of Regina.”

.

Cady is running after him, shouting his name, but Aaron cannot bring himself to so much as turn his head. He feels sick to his stomach, and it's like someone brought a sledgehammer down on his forehead.

He isn’t going to run. Cady isn’t going to hurt him. He isn’t going to run.

But he doesn’t _know_ that because Cady is _just like Regina,_ and hurting Aaron is all Regina ever did.

Cady has stopped following him, but Aaron realizes he has no idea where he is. All the houses look the same, and he cannot remember street names no matter how hard he tries.

He fumbles with his phone a little before managing to pull it out. He stares at it for a few seconds, his exhausted reflection staring up from his black screen.

Dead.

He’s so tired.

A car horn beeps, and Aaron looks up to find Rich looking out his car window.

“Hey, Aaron,” Rich says. “Need a ride?”

.

“I thought you weren’t big on the party scene anymore,” Rich says. 

“I’m not,” Aaron mumbles. At Rich’s questioning glance, he adds, “It was Cady’s party.”

A flash of understanding appears in Rich's eyes.

“Did you drive? Where’s your car?” Rich asks. 

“I came with Jake.”

“What were you gonna do, walk home? You live in a completely different district.”

“I—“ Aaron’s head hurts, and the shape of the words on his tongue feel too thick. “I wasn’t thinking right.”

Rich snorts. 

“The girl problems never end with you, huh,” he says dryly. 

Aaron stares down at his hands, his vision blurring. 

“What were _you_ doing there?” Aaron asks, forcing his voice to stay steady. 

“Dropped my little sister off at a sleepover a few blocks down. I’m basically her errand boy.”

This is the kind of comment Aaron would normally laugh at and make fun of Rich over. But he can't think of anything to say, and the pounding in his head will not soften. They spend the rest of the car ride in an awkward silence that makes Aaron want to pull a blanket over his head and never come out.

Rich pulls into Aaron’s driveway and parks the car. He looks at Aaron steadily, his eyes unreadable in the dim light.

“You really gonna keep doing this?” he asks.

“Doing what?” Aaron snaps, but everything comes out too wobbly to be convincing. He has no more control over his voice than he does over his life.

“Aaron,” Rich says, his voice hard, “what did Regina do?”

Dread begins to claw its way up Aaron’s throat, and he finds the air impossible to breathe.

“Nothing,” Aaron chokes out.

“Nothing? Aaron, have you _seen_ yourself the past few months? You’re a nervous wreck! You get all twitchy over sudden movements and loud sounds, and you can barely _look_ at me or Jake in the eye."

“I’m not--I--” Aaron’s fingers tap out a nervous rhythm on his leg. He forces himself to stop because _Regina doesn’t like it when he does that,_ except Regina isn’t here, so it doesn’t matter, except--

_Except except except._

“You were getting better,” Rich says quietly.

Aaron turns to stare at Rich. He has his head resting against the steering wheel, and he looks so _tired._

“What do you mean, _better?”_ Aaron asks.

Rich is quiet for a long time. Finally, he straightens in his seat and meets Aaron’s eye.

“You were miserable,” Rich says. “Your entire junior year--you think Jake and I didn’t notice? Regina was draining the life out of you, man, and all we could do was _watch.”_

“That’s not what happened,” Aaron says.

His head hurts so much. Truth be told, he doesn’t _remember_ what happened. Regina’s voice, so sugary sweet, wove a tale that shifted according to her mood, and Aaron does not _know_ which narratives are true anymore.

“The happiest I’ve seen you in a long time was after she broke up with you,” Rich says.

“I broke up with her,” Aaron says.

“Yeah, this time,” Rich says. “But junior year--”

“I broke up with her,” Aaron repeats loudly, his pulse pounding in his ears.

Rich gives Aaron an odd look, like Aaron is an unusual insect under a microscope for scientific study.

“She dumped you,” Rich says slowly, “for Shane Oman.”

Aaron rubs his face, his hands shaking uncontrollably. 

She didn’t. She didn’t. She didn’t. Aaron broke up with her; he screwed everything up _like he always does;_ he--

Rich grabs Aaron’s arm and Aaron flinches. Rich lets go immediately, raising his hands in what looks like a surrender.

“I’m sorry,” Rich says. 

Aaron’s face feels too hot, and his eyes are burning. He can barely breathe in Rich’s tiny car. The plastic and the metal around him are shrinking and trapping him in one place. He doesn’t know what Rich _wants._

“Fuck,” Rich says. _“Fuck._ I’m sorry, I didn’t mean--”

“You don’t understand,” Aaron says, his voice rising to a frantic pitch. _“You don’t know what she’s like.”_

Rich’s forehead creases, and he looks at Aaron with concern.

“What’s she like?” Rich asks softly.

Aaron rests his forehead in his arms on the dash. He thinks of the way Gretchen’s smile would become strained under Regina’s intense stare, the way her shoulders tensed whenever Regina hugged her. He thinks of the hurt in Karen’s eyes whenever Regina called her a slut or a whore. He thinks of Cady, so bright and excited and _kind,_ before Regina sank her claws into Cady’s skin.

He thinks of Regina’s fingers tangled in his hair, her nails pressed into his arm hard enough to leave marks, the patronizing scorn in her voice whenever Aaron made a mistake, the way he still hears her words no matter how much he tries to forget.

“Poison,” Aaron whispers. “She’s like poison.”

He starts to laugh, but it's a hysterical kind that is one step away from being a sob.

He always did think a slow death was the worst way to go out.

**Author's Note:**

> The fact that people call Regina a queen and a strong woman sets my teeth on edge, especially since the shit she pulls with Aaron is unacceptable. As I watched the musical, I saw her isolate Aaron (he's ALWAYS with her while they're dating), gaslight him (the whole song Someone Gets Hurt is like a textbook definition of gaslighting), cheat on him, and emotionally manipulate him.
> 
> It's fine to like problematic characters, but I wish the fandom would acknowledge just HOW problematic Regina is.
> 
> Leave a comment below or come chat with me on tumblr! bromeliadslove.tumblr.com


End file.
